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Re: Deck-O-Joint

Tear it out and put in mastic (or Sikaflex SL). You are dead on with your assessment of the plastic channel! I hate that stuff and it always fails. Tear it out, use sand or backer rod to fill the depression to about 1/2" of the finished elevation, and put in the mastic material. Use some of the sand on top of the mastic so that it doesn't look all shiny (it will look more like a grout joint) and you will be fine!

Re: Deck-O-Joint

Hot and sunny all year 'round. I'm still swimming.

Sand and mastic? What about sand and that expansion joint sealer stuff? I was originally thinking of using some sanded grout I had left over from tiling the house, but wasn't sure how it would last in the elements and chlorine.

Re: Deck-O-Joint

Good luck getting the expansion foam to look good once it goes off That stuff gets everywhere, and it would be tough to make look nice.

Regular sanded grout is not made for such a large application, and it would crack. You need something flexible to handle the expansion and contraction.

Once you learn how to do the mastic it really is easy. One time and you should be good, and then you can charge all your friends (it goes for $7.00 a foot here to remove and replace!) when they need theirs done!

Re: Deck-O-Joint

Originally Posted by simicrintz

Tear it out and put in mastic (or Sikaflex SL). You are dead on with your assessment of the plastic channel! I hate that stuff and it always fails. Tear it out, use sand or backer rod to fill the depression to about 1/2" of the finished elevation, and put in the mastic material. Use some of the sand on top of the mastic so that it doesn't look all shiny (it will look more like a grout joint) and you will be fine!

Bruce

Re-hashing this thread...

Any tips as to how to tear the deck-o-**** out? Do I need to get it all the way to the "root"? Looking at the OP's link to deckoseal it looks like it is bonded into the concrete. Will it just pull out given enough force?

On a related topic, I have a similar plastic moulding material between the coping and the vertical pool wall that is also cracking and failing. Can I replace that with Sikaflex in that crack as well? Will it hold on a vertical face while curing?

Re: Deck-O-Joint

Well now I know what this splintering plastic **** in my patio and deck is called!

Ripping it out and filling the expansion joints with some sort of caulk is on my list of things to do before next rainy season.

I have a large assortment of tools. I was thinking of the circular saw first, with a shallow cut, to split the stuff. That usually makes things easier to dig out. Or maybe an air chisel.

16K freeform gunite with spa; Pentair 4000 DE filter; Century Whisperflow 1 HP; Pentair Minimax heater.Troublefree does not mean Maintenancefree. It's like brushing your teeth: You can spend a couple minutes a day and pennies a week or go to the dentist once a year and spend several thousand dollars.A pool is like a pet - you have to feed it every day, even the days you don't want to play with it!